Google’s Nest Cameras have always offered impressive hardware, but they’re expensive and the current lineup is getting a bit long in the tooth. Now there’s the new Nest Cam, which comes with a battery so you can attach it anywhere, even if the location is far from power. If you’re looking for long battery life, this is the camera for you. The rest, not so much. The camera lacks features at release that older Nest cameras have, and the Home app just isn’t ready to host your security camera feeds.
The Nest Cam Battery works in temperatures from -4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and will serve us well year-round. However, we were a bit surprised that the IP rating is only 54, which means it’s not completely dustproof or safe from high-pressure water jets. Most outdoor cameras have an IP rating of 65, so while this isn’t the most rugged outdoor camera we’ve ever tested, it should work in most weather conditions.
The Nest Cam Battery is a wireless outdoor camera that comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. However, if you prefer wired cameras over wireless, you can use outdoor weatherproof cables. We opted for the wireless option as it is much easier to install. The Nest Cam Battery offers 1080p HD video, the industry standard for security cameras. It also has a fairly large 130-degree field of view.
The only area where the video disappointed us was the lack of optical zoom. We could only zoom by pressing six times on the Google Home screen with Live View. However, this is not a reason for complaint and we were satisfied with the video quality overall.
Another standard feature of the Nest Cam Battery is the two-way audio, which is enabled by a speaker and microphone. When our Amazon package arrived, we received a notification and opened the Google Home app to instruct the delivery person to place the package in our front hall. Although he may have been startled by our disembodied voices, the two-way audio feature prevented the package from being stolen.
Six infrared LED sensors provide illumination up to 20 feet, and as you can see in our video and photo above, the night vision was crystal clear. However, infrared sensors only produce black and white images. If you want night vision in color, you’ll need a camera with a bright white light, like the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery.